Brush mat



Sept. 29,1936. c. c. TIEDEMANN BRUSH MAT Filed April 20, 19:55

INVENTOR. g m 70m C imam/w ATTORNEY.

Patented Sept. 29, 1936 BRUSH MAT Clinton 0. Tiedemann, South. Bend, 1nd,, as signor of one-third to William W. Austin and onethird to Fred A. Murrmann, South Bend, Ind.

Application April 20, 1935, Serial N0. 17,40'7

2 Claims.

This invention relates to brush mats, and particularly to brush type floor mats.

The primary object of the invention is to provide a mat in which resilient members are employed to support and reinforce the brush bristles.

A further object is to provide a mat employing brushes in which rubber strips are mounted in the brush bars between spaced rows of bristles to supportingly engage the same.

A further object is to provide a brush construction for use in a floor mat in whose back is formed a longitudinal groove having a mouth of restricted dimension for fixedly mounting a strip of resilient material.

Other objects will be apparent from the description and the appended claims.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is atop plan View of the mat.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary transverse vertical sectional View of the mat taken on line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary transverse vertical sectional view similar to Figure 2 illustrating the manner in which the resilient members flex with and support the rows of brush bristles.

Referring to the drawing, which illustrates the application of this invention to a mat of the type illustrated in my copending patent application, Serial No. 8,173, filed February 25, 1935, the numeral l9 designates a channel shaped carrier member or mounting for one or more brush bars or brush backs H. The upper ends of the outer longitudinal sides of carriers H) are provided with longitudinally extending curved off-sets l2, and adjacent carriers H] are interconnected by inverted V-shaped members l3 having downwardly inwardly directed longitudinally extending flanges M, said members l3 spanning the off-sets E2 of adjacent carriers and flanges M being received within Said off-sets. As illustrated in Figure 2, the carriers may be constructed to receive a plurality of brush bars in which event the channel portions are interconnected by inverted V-shaped portions I5. Suitable interlocking members It extending transversely of the mat and of carriers I0 serve to interconnect adjacent carriers II! in end to end relation. Inclined marginal members I! having vertical flanges l8 at their inner sides are secured to the mat unit by insertion of said flange l8 thereof between the brush bar It and the adjacent Vertical wall of carrier It, said flanges I8 preferably being provided with outwardly directed longitudinal off-sets l9 fitting into carrier off-sets I2 to normally look said parts in operative relation.

Each brush bar it is preferably provided with a pair of spaced longitudinally extending rows of bristles 2U suitably secured thereto or mounted therein. Intermediate these rows of bristles the bar I2 is provided with a longitudinally extending groove 2| whose side walls incline inwardly to provide the groove with a mouth of restricted transverse dimension. In this groove is mounted a strip of rubber 22 of a length corresponding to the length of the brush bar H, a thickness greater than the transverse dimension of the mouth of groove 2!, and a width to permit the same to seat securely in said groove and to position its upper edge slightly below the tips of the bristles 20. The groove 2! is positioned with relation to the rows of bristles 2%! on opposite sides thereof, to permit the inner bristles in each row to normally bear against the upper end of said strip 22.

In the use of the mat, the weight of a user normally tends to bend and deform the bristles. By the use of the rubber strip 22 as here illustrated these bristles are supported as illustrated in Figure 3-. The rubber, as well as the bristles, gives or flexes under the weight of the user, but by its resiliency returns to its normal shape and position, carrying the bristles with it. This construction, by permitting the rubber to take the weight of the user, minimizes the bending of the bristles, and thus minimizes the breaking thereof. In this way, the life of bristles may be greatly increased and the efliciency thereof retained substantially unimpaired through long and hard usage. The efiiciency of a brush mat is derived largely from engagement of the tips of the bristles with the object to be cleaned. Thus where the resiliency of the rubber permits the same to assume a normal shape and position after being deformed under heavy weight, and the brush bristle bunches are positioned closely adjacent and in engagement with said rubber strips, the bristles are obviously straightened after each flexing use thereof. The exact spacing between the tips of the brushes and the upper edge of the rubber strip may vary within limits practicable to provide the bristle supporting function and yet expose the bristles to.the surface to be cleaned while preferably allowing only minimum or no engagement of the rubber strips with said surface.

The rubber best suited for use in this device is preferably sufficiently flexible and. resilient to permit the same to be inserted in the narrow mouthed grooves, and sufficiently strong and rigid to provide the desired supporting function and to hold itself in said groove while being flexed in use.

I claim:

1. A floor mat comprising a plurality of interconnected brushes each comprising a bar mounting a plurality of spaced rows of vertical bristles, said bar having an elongated groove formed therein intermediate adjacent bristle rows, said groove having downwardly diverging side Walls to provide a mouth of restricted dimension, and an elongated resilient member of a thickness exceeding the dimension of the mouth of said groove and of a degree of rigidity sufficient to sustain the weight of a user with slight flexing, said member being seated in said groove for retention by said walls and terminating in spaced relation below the tips of and engaging said bristles whereby said member flexes with and limits the extent of flexing of said bristles in use and returns said bristles to substantially vertical position after use of the mat.

2. A brush for use in a floor mat comprising a bar, a pair of spaced rows of vertical bristles mounted in said bar, said bar having a groove formed therein between said bristle rows, and a resilient member fixedly mounted in said groove and projecting therefrom for supporting engagement with said bristles in spaced relation to said bar, said member terminating above the bar and below the tips of said bristles a distance proportioned to its width and to the degree of rigidity thereof to support the Weight of a user with slight flexing which limits bending of said bristles, and being sufliciently resilient to force the bristles to substantially vertical position after use of the mat.

CLINTON C. TIEDEMANN. 

